At this point, they needed to buy food from elsewhere and they had only two viable options; the Dragon Empire, or Xiao Yan’s world. Since the war started and the Dragon Empire went on an all-out campaign to conquer the whole world, food prices there had skyrocketed and generally been comandeered for the army. Prices in Xiao Yan’s world, however, remained stable and cheap compared to cultivation resources. A few million Black should be enough to fill up all those airships with rice and beans. The difficult part would be getting the food through the Portal, which wasn’t large enough for airships. They’d have to cart it all through. Poor Mindy was going to have a shock when the bulk of the Navigators suddenly arrived through the Dragon Capital Portal. Remian and company watched as most of the functional airships left at Craggy Falls took off and headed east. Their mission was simple; get food, get back, fast. George went along with them. The guy always did have a heart

The Meorin had somehow landed heavy infantry units on Sorrel II. There were at least two hundred space cats running around in advanced power armor, shooting plasma weapons at anything that moved. When they first pounced on Kara-Goth, George and his crew were celebrating the cease-fire with the Wind Emperor while trying to confirm the death of Remian Vin. They waited until the Wind Emperor wandered away in regret over Remian’s death. Then they started firing. George was one of the first to be shot at. A certain girl in an Armored Frame noticed as the barrage began and threw herself in the way. She was blasted directly in her back, and sent flying. George didn’t see the first part, only seeing the girl coming at him rapidly. Half-stunned and his mind whizzing over completely unrelated issues, he securely caught her and momentarily wondered if he was dreaming, with her in his arms and... Spewing blood over his shoulder. Eww. Rather than say something romantic, w

Remian’s warning was the first indication Tim got that somehow, something had gone wrong. “Wasn’t I sneaky enough?” Tim protested. Mikai shrugged and shook his head helplessly. And then the cats were upon them. Three ninja cats pounced from the shadows, claws glittering in the dark. Tim ducked, spinning low a knife appearing in either hand as he swiped at his attackers. Claws and blades met with brief clashes and sparks, and then Tim leapt back while lynxmice lunged into the fray. Another shadow-cat dropped down from above. Tim raised his knives only to have them tangled with the latest attacker’s claws. Their weapons tangled as the cat itself crashed upon Tim, both of them tumbling onto the floor while more yowls, squeaks, shrieks and hisses filled the tunnels. Mikai jumped onto Tim’s attacker, clawing and biting at its neck in a flurry. Blood and fur flew as the cat hissed, trying to tug its foreclaws free from the tangle with Tim’s